Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one element into another, which is possible via radioactive decay, nuclear fusion, and nuclear fission.

Additionally, Ernest Rutherford demonstrated that nitrogen-14, when hit with a fast-moving alpha particle, produces a proton along with a different nuclide, which, a few years later, was identified as oxygen-17 by Patrick Blackett. 

The condensed notation of the process lists, in order, the target nucleus, the bombarding and ejected particles, and the product nucleus. Neutrons and alpha particles are common bombarding particles in transmutation processes. 

The elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 are called transuranium elements. These elements are common targets of transmutation experiments because they are entirely synthetic except for neptunium and plutonium, which are also produced naturally in uranium decay chains.

For example, neptunium-239 is generated in specialized nuclear reactors by bombarding uranium-238 with fission neutrons. Being electrically neutral, neutrons encounter no electrostatic repulsion from the nuclei, so fission speeds are sufficient for this transmutation. The radioactive neptunium-239 subsequently dec